


Beneath a blue midmorning

by FemmeBrulee



Series: FemmeBrulee's works, Dramione Last Drabble Writer Standing 2020 [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Courage, F/M, Forgiveness, Loyalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FemmeBrulee/pseuds/FemmeBrulee
Summary: Draco Malfoy faces up to his past.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Series: FemmeBrulee's works, Dramione Last Drabble Writer Standing 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867522
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Beneath a blue midmorning

“Are you sure you got enough sleep last night?” 

“I– I think so, yeah.”

His skin is pale against the cloudless blue of midmorning. He tugs at the collar of his pressed black shirt, his throat bobbing with the weight of what he must do. 

She laces her fingers through his and gently squeezes his hand as the wrought-iron gates swing open before them. It is a gesture of assurance, as much for him as it is for herself.

Time has not touched the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Tall, evergreen hedges flank them as they walk down a cobblestone path, before giving way to a vast flower garden. All around them are rose bushes and waving stalks of lavender, peony shrubs and sun-coloured daffodil blossoms. She wonders how much of this is a facade, a lie Narcissa Malfoy tells herself to pretend that the war has not destroyed her family.

Draco stops beside a plot of bleeding pink gladioli, looking up at the high black walls of the Manor. 

"I wanted so much to be like him," he says quietly after a long pause. "I was ready to curse anyone who so much as sneered in his direction."

His hand is trembling in hers as she presses it to her chest. “You don’t have to do this today, you know,” she tells him. “Not this week, or even this year. We can come back when you’re ready.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I have to do this. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Besides marrying you, of course,” he adds, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile as he tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

She nods and leans into his arms. She is nervous too, of course. If her memories of Malfoy Manor are any indication of what was to come, then she should be on the other side of that gate. But he needs her today and that is enough.

“I can’t keep avoiding him,” he mutters resolutely. “What will it say about me if I can’t take my wife to see my own father? I respected the man once, but I now see how wrong he was, how utterly misguided. And if I can’t stand up to him and tell him that to his face, then I don’t deserve to be your husband, Hermione.”

“I’m proud of you, Draco,” she whispers into the crook of his neck. “And I’ll be here no matter what happens.”

They hold onto each other for just a moment more before continuing up the garden path toward the house.

He probably didn’t expect to square up to his past on a blue spring morning, surrounded by the colours and the sharp, sweet scent of flowers. But Hermione likes to think that maybe it is a sign. 

The front door looms tall and heavy before them, bearing a large silver serpent’s head at its centre.

He takes a deep breath and knocks.

**Author's Note:**

> Submission for Dramione LDWS 2020 Round 5: Gladiolus/Strength of Character. This is where I was eliminated from the competition. But I had loads of fun participating and hope you enjoyed my entries :)


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